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ASSA

ASSA

Mission

The mission of the Office of Academic Services for Student Athletes is to assist the student athlete in academic planning in order to maintain NCAA and University academic eligibility. The office focuses on the promotion of retention that will ultimately leads toward graduation.

About Academic Services for Student Athletes

The Office of Academic Services for Student Athletes at California State University, Northridge was created in 1993. Since that time the office has grown from 1 full-time staff member to 5, and offers a wide variety of services to help aid the student athlete in their academic endeavors. The Academic Advisors encourage personal growth and foster critical thinking skills through problem solving and decision making experiences. They provide information to the student athletes and guide them to make informed choices. The Academic Advisors provide team meetings as well as individual advisement sessions. They also see all recruits and potential student athletes when they come to Northridge for the first time. Athletic Advisors serve as an advocate for the student athlete and provide referrals when necessary. The Athletic Advisor assists in course selection and scheduling and continually informs the student athletes about NCAA and University rules and regulations. Academic eligibility information is also provided as necessary. Academic success is our biggest priority and must be achieved while striking a balance with the time demands of Division I intercollegiate athletics.

NCAA Grant: Accelerating Academic Success Program

In 2013, California State University Northridge was selected to receive a $900,000 grant from the NCAA to enhance academic support for our student athletes. The grant has enabled us to expand our academic support services. This expansion has led to the separation of academic advising and mentoring and tutoring services. In 2013, the newly formed Matador Achievement Center opened with a brand new staff to oversee mentoring and tutoring. This separation of the office of Academic Services for Student Athletes and our mentoring and tutoring programs has made room for greater, more focused support. This has allowed the Academic Advisors to provide a more comprehensive academic counseling experience for our student athletes. In addition, the office of Academic Services for Student Athletes launched the new Student Athlete Summer Success Program in 2014. In collaboration with Athletics, Undergraduate Studies, Developmental Math and First Year Experiences the athletic advisors had 24 students participate in their inaugural program. The program has now expanded to 35 freshman student athletes for the 2015 summer term. Thanks to the NCAA grant, this freshman cohort will be participating in 2 courses this summer, mentoring and tutoring, life skills workshops and community service.

Academic Highlights / Important Date

Highlights of this year past year: In 2015, we had 81 student athletes inducted into our Varsity N Academic Honor Roll, the highest number in the program's history. In addition, we will be honoring 73 student athletes in the graduation ceremonies.